I did not realize that Arizona had a wine region but they do! At about an elevation of 5000 feet (for reference Tucson is at about 2500 feet) the vineyards are plentiful in this beautiful area of grasslands, rolling hills, Santa Rita Mountains and ranches (both cattle and horses). I stopped at Sonoita Vineyards and the Elgin Winery and Distillery. I tasted a few wines and bought a bottle. The wines were very good (to my unsophisticated palate).
The drive took about an hour each way and was beautiful. Cactus gave way to yucca plants and grassland was plentiful. The vineyards often couldn’t be seen from the road but once I drove up the dusty driveways, the rolling hills with vineyards emerged.
Tumacacori and Tubac are an easy 25 minute drive from where I am staying so I ventured south. I visited Tumacacori Mission first, which consisted of a church and planned community near the Santa Cruz River. There was a church, convent, cemetery, plaza, orchard and large garden area. It was peaceful and interesting. The grounds were lush and the remaining buildings were well-preserved. I really love the adobe structures.
Three miles north is Tubac. Tubac is historical and artsy in the cutest way. I started at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum but didn’t spend too much time there. I then walked the streets of Tubac starting with the Tubac Center of the Arts. A juried competition was showing and the art was impressive. I then meandered the three streets filled with art, jewelry and other things you didn’t know you needed! The village boasts being founded in 1752 and the arts and crafts were impressive. I especially loved all the garden art.
Similar to running into an old friend that I didn’t realize I missed, Tucson continues to surprise me. A few years ago after Tucson came onto my radar, I joined a few Facebook groups focused on the city. I figured it would give me a little insight into the culture, pluses and minuses and some secrets, too. I do this for any city I’m visiting if it is remotely a possibility as “the place”. As expected, some comments are negative but mostly the tidbits have been positive. As I am exploring, I find Tucson has a lot to love about it and I am enjoying discovering its nooks and crannies.
Tucson is clean. There is no garbage littering the downtown area or any other place I’ve explored so far. I found a dog park last night and even that was spotless. It is impressive.
Food is important here and I sense a certain amount of pride with the offerings at the various restaurants I’ve visited. I found a fantastic market called Time Market. It has fresh grocery items but also an attached cafe and bakery offering morning pastries, pizzas, salads and sandwiches. Artisan bread comes out of the oven at 7 a.m. and I suspect it is worth getting up for! My croissant was delicious.
Next to the Tucson Museum of Art is the Presidio neighborhood. Since the museum was not open when I arrived, I walked the hood. It was another charming, historical area with some stunning homes – not ostentatious or large – but instead with character and details worth observing.
I visited the Tucson Museum of Art, which although is small, has an impressive collection of varied art. The collections include ancient Americas, contemporary Latin American, Indigenous, Latin American Folk Art and Modern Art. The size of the museum makes all of this digestible and three other buildings outside the courtyard add more to see.
I then walked about 13 minutes to Barrio Viejo and along the way this beautiful plaza appeared! I also landed on an ice skating rink with holiday music and kids skating and smiling. Wandering is the best way to be surprised.
As I headed to my short-term rental I stopped at University of Arizona to check out the turtle pond. I found it, but no turtles, just large goldfish.
Tucson offers so much variety and beauty. Tonight I will attend an opening at the Etherton Gallery. Today is my fifth day in Tucson and she has been generous with her gifts of warmth, beauty and accessibility.
The cacti scream for attention on this 27 mile climb to reach an elevation of 9000 feet. At about 4000 feet, the cacti disappear and evergreens begin to take over. And finally at 8000 feet snow and ice pave the road. The rock formations are golden colored with pink, red and orange hues but as the elevation rises, grey takes over. This drive is the equivalent of beginning at the Mexican desert and ending in the Canadian forests (in just 27 miles!). There were plenty of vistas and the most mesmerizing was the Windy Point Vista but I stopped at almost every turnout because the views kept changing.
It’s December 3rd and the weather is a sunny, mild 62 degrees (but actually feels warmer in the sun). The sweltering days of Tucson’s 100 degree plus temperatures are over and so I can see the allure of a winter home here. I decided to check out the multiple neighborhoods on my list to see. Tucson is easy to navigate with it’s wide, grid streets. One thing I notice immediately is how clean everywhere I go is with not a speck of trash anywhere. It’s impressive. The second thing I observe is murals are plentiful and tell the story of the rich culture in Tucson.
I start at Barrio Viejo. This is a neighborhood of post Civil War adobe and brick homes. They are small, simple and gorgeous. This neighborhood is walkable and right next to downtown.
I then see Menlo Park/Mercado San Agustin and the MSA Annex. This is another cool area that is a new development but built to look old and fits in nicely to the Tucson aesthetic.
I also drove to the Sam Hughes neighborhood, Blenman-Elm and West University areas. Beautiful, historical homes that I love.
Lunch was then in order so I stopped at Boca Tacos. I tried three tacos, a boca ball and a salsa flight which included a garbanzo bean option, basil black bean and an avocado version. They were all excellent.
I stayed truly in the middle of nowhere last night (Ridgecrest, CA) but it is the only place to stay to enter the park from the west side. It still was an hour and a half drive to get to Death Valley this morning. I drove through Trona, which was a wasteland of mining mounds and smokestacks. I found it interesting that there was a sign posted that if you litter there is a $1000 fine, yet the desecration of the land seems to be just fine. I also drove through Lost Hills yesterday. There were hundreds of oil drilling machines in the large oil fields. I’ve never seen anything like it. I am not in beautiful San Francisco any more!
Fortunately, Death Valley trumps Trona and Lost Hills by a thousand fold. Death Valley was amazingly beautiful and varied. On one side of the road there were smooth, colored, layered mountains and on the opposite side of the road jagged peaks like one would expect. I visited:
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Sand dunes in the middle of this park were amazing to see.
Badwater Basin. The lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. The salt looks like snow. Because of the recent storms, the flats were actually covered with water and looked like a lake. The storms also prompted some road closures.
Artists Drive. The colorful hills with layered rock formations were mesmerizing.
Zabriskie Point. The golden colored badlands were my favorite thing in the park. It was nice that Pete was able to see them, too.
After I left the park I drove four plus hours to Needles, CA. It’s another very small town in the middle of nowhere. But tomorrow will only be a five hour drive and we will be in Tucson!
Since my last post, I explored a few more things before today’s departure including Sausalito via the ferry, The Fairmont’s gingerbread house, my first Core Power class, a pedicure, Palmer’s Tavern for lunch, the Roman Goat for dinner, Little Original Joe’s for another lunch and walking the Lyon Street Steps. I had a great few days with Carli. It’s been a fantastic two months sharing the same city with her!
Today I drove three hours to Paso Robles. Paso Robles is a stunning wine country with the typical rolling green hills, autumnal orange vineyards, tall Arborvitae and PALM TREES (the not-so-typical item in a wine area). I roamed the cute downtown which has a beautiful park in the middle and cute shops with public art and lots of tasting rooms. I then drove to Tin City, which is about three miles away. It was a cool assortment of tin buildings with wineries, distilleries and breweries. It was a shame I couldn’t drink because I had a long drive ahead.
I got back on the road to make the long journey to Ridgecrest so that tomorrow I can head to Death Valley NP. There was not much to see on the four hour journey although the landscape started to get interesting in Tehachapi and became amazing once I hit Red Rock Canyon State Park. I wish I could have stopped but it was getting dark and I really needed to get to the hotel after being all the road since 8:30 a.m. If you happen to be in the area, make sure your itinerary stops at this beautiful state park with amazing and colorful rock formations.
Today my daughter and I decided to hike on the Marin side of the bay. This was a 4 mile trail that had us traveling through gentle hills of greenery and rock and ultimately landing us on the coast of Tennessee Beach. We brought Pete but then noticed a no dog sign. We spotted a few dogs ahead of us so we brought Pete along. We kept him on the trail and leashed but his nose was busy so there must have been scents of animals. All Trails said there were deer, coyote and birds spotted in the area.
Even though cars were lined up down the road from the trailhead, the trail was actually pretty empty. We noticed lots of offshoot trails and many cyclists so we guessed the plentiful number of trails dispersed the crowds. Picnic tables and benches were strategically placed in several areas. Overall, this was a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.
Yet another former military outpost that is now a fantastic park. Fort Funston was a 30 minute drive and a great outing for me and Pete! The sand dunes, trails on the cliffs and the beach were perfect. Ample parking made the trip easy and Pete met so many dogs and was a bit surprised by the horses!
Fort Point National Historic Site is one of the favorite things I have visited in San Francisco because of it’s beauty, location and history. The fort is well-preserved and right on the water and basically conjoined to the Golden Gate Bridge. The setting is truly magnificent. Make sure you visit the rooftop!
seniyegroff 